1854-O $20

Description

Choice XF 1854-O Twenty--One of the Keys to the Double Eagle Series

1854-O XF 45 NGC. The 1854-O is a famous rarity among New
Orleans double eagles. The original mintage was a paltry 3,250
pieces, and it is one of the rarest of all Coronet twenties, being
comparable to other such exalted issues as the 1856-O, 1870-CC,
1881, 1885, and the proof-only 1883 and '84 dates. It is just a bit
less rare than the 1856-O, and these two O-mint issues are often
mentioned in the same breath by specialists. Akers estimates that
the number of survivors is somewhere between 20 and 25 specimens.
In XF condition it is considered a mid to high R.7 issue. Most
examples grade VF to XF and show heavy abrasions. While this piece
shows the small marks one normally associates with a coin that has
seen 15 points of wear, the only ones that are detracting enough to
mention are a scratch in the upper left obverse field, and a couple
of grease stains which were struck into the obverse at the time of
manufacture: one to the right of star 5 and the other from the base
of the neck into the lower left field. (NGC ID# 268T, PCGS# 8912)